BSF seizes B’desh contraceptive vials

Kolkata: Vials of injectable contraceptives are being smuggled across the India-Bangladesh border. The BSF on Friday seized 380 vials of the intravenous contraceptive ‘Swosti’, which were being brought into India.
Troops of the 153 Battalion found the vials and 11,500 ‘Sukhi’ tablets close to the border near Khajuri-2 outpost in North 24 Parganas. According to an official, the packet was dumped on the Indian side.
Medical practitioners have warned that such injections can be deadly if administered by quacks in rural areas. In Bangladesh, ‘Swosti’ is administered to women under medical guidance.
The pills called ‘Sukhi’, that are distributed for free among women in Bangladesh with the help of NGOs and international aid agencies, are also routinely smuggled into Bengal and sold at village shops. There is a demand for these tablets, despite warnings by health experts, owing to lack of proper distribution of free pills by the health department in remote parts of the state.
“We have always maintained that women in our villages should not take Sukhi tablets without proper guidance. We are not sure of its efficacy or side-effects. The injections that are supposed to prevent pregnancy for 2-3 months at a time are far deadlier and can cause long-term or even irreversible damage to internal organs if administered without proper checks. The state health department needs to look into the matter,” a doctor at a public health centre in Bongaon said.